


talk is hard (running is easy)

by icarusinflight



Series: GWB Drabble Prompts [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Animagus Draco Malfoy, Animagus Harry Potter, Drabble, M/M, Pre-Slash kinda, for the GWB drabble fest, insomnia and nightmares mentioned, they don't talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-21 14:30:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11946240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icarusinflight/pseuds/icarusinflight
Summary: They don’t talk about it.Harry transfigures into a wolf, and he waits in the forbidden forest. He never has to wait long before he’s met by a fox.OrThe one where Harry and Draco are both Animagi and the seek comfort with each other.But they don't talk about it.





	talk is hard (running is easy)

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Drarry squad drabble prompt:  
> Animagus Drarry

They don’t talk about it.

Harry transfigures into a wolf, and he waits in the forbidden forest. He never has to wait long before he’s met by a fox.

When he sees the fox he always runs to him, racing up as fast as he can, before darting away to avoid running around into the fox. The fox is smaller and more delicate than Harry, even though, as an Indian Wolf, he’s smaller than most wolves.

When he’s circled the fox at least twice he comes to a rest in front of the fox, down on his front legs, and yips at him.

Today the fox just stares at him before dropping down in a mirror position of Harry’s, and yipping in reply.

And then the fox is off, running through the forest.

Harry chases, as he does every time.

On open ground, like the quidditch pitch, his longer legs would guarantee him the advantage, and he’d catch the fox every time. But here in the undergrowth the fox can dart and weave. Where the fox can slip through the brushes, Harry needs to jump over, squeeze through small gaps, or go round.

On the occasion that Harry struggles to find a path, the fox will return, darting through and yipping for his attention, always finding a path for Harry, before darting off again when Harry has made his way through.

They don’t run the whole night.

When they’re deep into the forest the fox will stop and wait for Harry.

Then sometimes they practice tracking, following the smell of an animal through the forest.

Occasionally they find the centaurs and play with them, racing between them and in the fox's case, jumping up at them. The centaurs indulge them, and even once picked the fox up to run with them when they were too fast for his smaller legs.

Harry loped alongside that time.

His second favourite thing after their running is when the fox plays.

Sometimes the fox will find as insect and follow it, jumping up and down dancing around it. When he’s playing like that Harry likes to lay down on his stomach and watch. He has no interest in playing himself, but it’s fun to watch, occasionally huffing in amusement at the antics. Once a crow seemed to play with them, dropping nuts from a tree that the fox jumped to catch.

When the fox grows tired of playing they make their way back towards Hogwarts. When they can just see the castle lights through the trees they find a scrubby patch. Harry is always first, investigating the scent of the spot to make sure it is adequate, then turning three times before curling into a ball.

Once he is settled the fox clambers into the space at his belly, resting his muzzle against Harry’s neck.

It’s a vulnerable position. The fox would only have to move an inch and it could rip his throat out. But Harry trusts him. They always fall asleep like that.

Harry always wakes up alone.

He wakes up still in his wolf form, and transfigures back, making the sleepy trek back to the dorm to shower and yawn his way through breakfast. His friends have become used to his fatigue now, and don’t question him. He’s sure they’ve noticed that he doesn’t sleep in his bed on those nights, but he doubts they could guess what he gets up to.

He trudges through the day, managing a nap in History of Magic which gets him through the rest of the day.

When he’s doing his Potions assignment in the 8th year common room, Malfoy enters the common room. He’s hand in hand with Pansy, and they’re talking conspiratorially. Their voices are low enough and their distance far enough that the words aren’t distinguishable. Malfoy yawns as he walks past the couch, and Harry echoes the movement, cursing Malfoy internally as he does so.

As they walk past he hears Pansy ask him “Are you sure you shouldn’t go to the healers again about your sleeping?”

But Malfoy’s response is lost as they continue their way through the common room.

He wonders, sometimes, what will happen when they graduate.

Before Harry started transfiguring  he suffered from insomnia and nightmares. Even if he gets minimal sleep now, it’s better than it was.

It won’t last forever though. He’ll graduate and go home to Grimmauld Place, where there’s no forest to run in, no animals to run or play with, and more importantly no fox to sleep with.

He doesn’t know what will happen then.

He wants to ask.

But they don’t talk about it.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading.  
> Kudos and comments give me life.  
> This is unbeta'd so sorry for any errors.
> 
> Hit me up at candybarrnerd on tumblr if you'd like!


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